A review by Mikelangelo "MikeJer" Marinaro
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From the hilarious opening scene (see quote below) to the entertaining conclusion, this episode mostly succeeds. The snappy dialog continues to grow and we're shown that vampires aren't going to be the only villains on the show. The whole cheerleading angle can only be done once and I'm glad BtVS leaves it behind after this episode (aside from a brief scene with Dawn in Him [7x06]), but it made for some decent comedy here. It's also Amy's first appearance! The entire production of this episode feels more polished and solid than the first couple of episodes. This is also the first time we really see Joss Whedon's influence with great character moments (even though I don't believe he wrote this episode). The whole concept of spontaneously combustible cheerleaders is highly entertaining. Then when Buffy sings "macho, macho man!" over and over I was in stitches. That moment marks one of Buffy's happiest moments in the entire series, even if she is being influenced by a spell. Also a fun observation is that Buffy's alarm clock appears to be the same one that goes off in the beginning of the musical episode, "Once More, With Feeling" in S6. I think this clock makes several appearances throughout the series. I'm not sure if it has a special meaning or if it's just a prop they kept throughout the show's run. Probably the latter. The only problems I can find with this episode involve a few clunky lines of dialog (though this is getting better and better as each episode this season rolls along) and some overuse of witch cliches (such as the black cat jumping out of the chest). Otherwise this episode is a good, but flawed first 'regular' episode.
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| + | Willow has ultra cute mannerisms and dialog. | | + | Xander's crush on Buffy begins. | | + | Mom & daughter body swap was a nice twist on the basic witch plot. |
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- Xander says, "Will, yeah, that is the point, you don't have to drive it through my head like a railroad spike." It's found out in S2 that Spike got his nickname from torturing his victims with railroad spikes. Probably no correlation was supposed to made here, but I still find it interesting.
- Buffy is foreshadowing that she has no romantic interest in Xander when she says to him, "You are totally, and completely one of the girls! I'm that comfy with him. Any other guy who'd give me a bracelet, they'd... wanna date me, and be like a…" Buffy proves this when she rejects him in Prophecy Girl (1x12).
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| GILES: | This is madness! What can you have been thinking? You are the Slayer! Lives depend upon you! I make allowances for your youth, but I expect a certain amount of responsibility, and instead of which you enslave yourself to this, this... cult? | | BUFFY: | (wearing a cheerleader outfit) You don't like the color? |
| BUFFY: | Hmm, I know you don't, that's 'cause you're my friend. You're my Xander-shaped friend! |
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75
/100
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B- |
Flawed in some areas. Possibly lacking in character development and relevance or possessing a poor plot and/or villain. There's still a lot of good material mixed in with the mediocre. |
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